Maladroit
by Para-Bola Virus
Summary: When Aang and Katara are captured, it's up to Toph and Sokka to save their friends. With no lead as to where Aang and Katara are, no plan, and cloaks, Toph and Sokka set off on an epic journey.
1. Nettle

**A/N:** Well, hello! 8D

I've written a few multichapter fics before. However, this is the first that I've gotten around to posting. I'm quite lazy. xD

As school will soon be ending, I am finding more time to write. Thus, I have started this new story, Maladroit. 3 I've had a lot of fun writing it, and am looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

Maladroit is another word for tactless, in case anyone was wondering...

Happy reading.

* * *

I draped the hood of the cloak Katara had given me months previously over my head, feeling the edge of it touch my nose. I pulled it down further, hiding my nasal area as well as my eyes- it's not like I needed to see, anyway. I brought my hands to my neck, searching for the string to secure the cloak around my neck. I found one end of it easily, but I couldn't locate the other. I carefully directed my right hand, trying to find it, until a larger, more careful hand take hold of it.

"Here," Sokka said, "let me do it."

I dropped both my arms to my sides while Sokka tied the string around my neck. He tied very slowly, I noticed. When he finished, he stepped back- I pictured him admiring his work. I brought my hand to my neck to feel the knot. He had tied it into a bow.

"Are you ready now?" He asked. Maybe I imagined him smiling.

"Yes." I said, my hand still at my neck. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"We're going to save Aang and Katara." Sokka replied, almost exasperated. "Duh, Toph."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know we're going to save the two lovers, but _where_ are we going, exactly? What place?"

"Oh."

"Oh." I repeated dryly.

"Well…" He paused, and then walked towards me. "I'm not too sure."

"What?!"

"I don't know where we're going." Sokka said simply.

"So, you have no idea where they are." It wasn't a question.

"No, I don't." He stopped suddenly, and I felt his gaze on my face. "But we're going to find them. I'm sure of it."

"_HOW_ can you be sure of it?!" I screeched "You don't even know where we're going to look for them!" I threw my hands up, this time I was the one in exasperation. We had been planning to rescue Aang and Katara since the time they had been captured nearly a month ago. All the sleepless nights, all the combat practice, all the time alone with Sokka, it all seemed wasted. Though the alone time with Sokka, I didn't consider exactly wasted…

"I just know we will." He said again. I heard the grin in his voice. The grin I had imagined so many times… I'd always wondered what it really looked like. I fought the sudden urge to touch his face.

"But…" I meekly tried to focus on the matter at hand. "if we don't know where they are, how will we rescue them? Are we just going to fly around the Fire Nation until you see a flag waving in the wind that says 'AANG AND KATARA ARE HIDDEN HERE!'?"

"Well, no, that wasn't my plan…"

"Then what is your plan?" I stomped my foot.

"Did you really just stamp your foot?" He was laughing.

"Shut up!" I had seen- well, not seen- Katara do this many times.

"I can't believe you stamped your foot! You're taking after Katara!" He was now in hysterics. I felt my cheeks redden, and furiously tried to force the blush away. "Look! You've even got your hands on your hips, and you're leaning to one side."

I turned around, to stomp away in a huff. I had no desire to speak to him if he was going to make fun of me and make plans without knowing where the plans would be carried out.

"Toph, no wait! Sorry, I didn't mean that!" He trailed after me.

I scoffed and turned a corner. I heard his nearly desperate footsteps follow me. I walked faster.

"Toph, I was just kidding about you taking after Katara. Don't do this, we need to go rescue her and Aang!"

"How?!" I turned around, furious. "How do you plan to go about that, Sokka? We don't know where we're going, so our plan is nearly useless. How can we break into a prison, or jail or whatever if we don't know how heavily guarded it is, or the layout of the place!" I sounded angrier than I really was. To tell the truth, I was angrier that he had made fun of me than the fact that we, now, had no plan.

"We can wing it…" He said.

"NO! I don't think we can 'wing it', Sokka!" I almost stamped my foot again, but stopped myself. "If we wing it, we'll end up being captured too." I folded my arms across my chest, the better to avoid placing them on my hips once more.

"Well, then… what should we do?"

"You tell me." I said, acidic.

"We can…" I sighed pointedly. He huffed. "If you don't want to hear my plan, then I'll go without you." He crossed his arms. This surprised me, because I felt his arms brush against mine when he did. I suddenly realized that we must be standing very close together. My instincts told me to take a step back, but something, something stronger than instinct, told me to stay right where I was. I hated this force, whatever it was.

"Don't you dare think about that." I said, and I hoped that I sounded harsh and menacing. "You won't get past the guards."

"I managed to get past them before you joined the group." Ouch.

"But…" What could I say? He was right. He had managed to get past guards on his own. Pirates, Fire Nation soldiers, and even Freedom Fighters bent on destroying a village, from what I had heard. But I had never seen him do this… hmm.

"Ha, you have to admit it now. I can get past people without your help." He was smiling again.

"I wasn't finished."

"Then finish."

"You got past them," I said, "with Aang and Katara's help."

"Well, of course I did! I mean, they were there." I smirked under the hood of my cloak. "Oh…"

"Exactly. You need me, and I need you."

"You need me?"

"Yes, I need you."

He chuckled and walked away. Confused, I followed him, instantly reminding myself of him following me earlier. "What?" I questioned.

"You need me."

"So?"

Gathered in his cloak, a gust of cold mountain air blew into my face as he turned around sharply. "You need me." He repeated, as though there was nothing more to the matter.

"I need you. So…what?" Now he had really confused me.

He pulled my hood down; I'd almost forgotten I still had it over my face. As he pulled it away, his fingers gently brushed the side of my cheek. The small amount of contact sent shivers down my spine, and I struggled to control them. I vaguely wondered if he did that intentionally.

"Do you need me?" He asked, whispering.

"Yes," I was whispering as well, though it wasn't a secret, and there was no one to hear us.

"Good. I need you too, you know." I realized that he was leaning over, closer to my level.

"You do?"

"Yes. You never know when I'll fall, and I'll need to you save me. And kick some Fire Nation butt in the process." I forced out a laugh.

"Yeah. You do seem to depend on me a lot."

"Hey, that's not what I meant." I gave him a playful shove. He laughed.

"So, are you coming or not?" The whispering was over, I noticed.

"What?" I shook my head, as though snapping out of trance.

"Are. You. Coming?" He said each word slowly and carefully as he walked away. "With me? To go save Aang and Katara? The lovebirds?" He chuckled again.

"Yeah, saving the kids… who are in love and stuff." I followed him.

"Climb on." He called from somewhere above me- he must've climbed onto Appa. I had to get a grip on myself. I put my hand out, found his, and we pulled me onto the bison's fluffy head. I sat close to him and clung to his arm- he didn't object. He even put his arm out, as though he expected me to hold onto him.

"Are you ready?" He asked, even though he knew the answer.

"No." I was never ready to leave the ground, to leave sight.

I swore he smiled as he said "Yip yip."


	2. Cerebral Persecution

**A/N: **:O

Another chapter!

I wrote this yesterday, and I started the story the day before that... I think I am on a role. 8D

* * *

I sat in silence. I always silent. Speaking would only earn punishment, and if I let that happen _again, _it would only increase the hatred I felt towards myself. If that was possible.

"Again." Ning said. She simply blinked, and stared back at him. I silently urged her to do it again- she could not be punished.

"Again."

"He said to do it again, wretch!"

Katara blinked once more, but sighed, and arranged her arms in a manner that would have been alluring, if her face was not contorted with anger and frustration. Ning nodded to Yoon and Chao, who began to beat steadily on two drums. Ning's foot tapped along with the slow tempo, and nodded to the wide-eyed Yoko, who began to play a complicated composition on the small flute she held in her hands. On what seemed the perfect cue, Katara began to dance. I sighed sadly as I watched, forced to sit at Ning's feet.

"Smile." Malai commanded. I winced as Katara forced her grimace into a too-happy grin and continued to dance through the perfectly choreographed motions she had been forced to learn since we arrived a week ago. Every time her eyes locked with mine, only momentarily, she seemed ready to cry. I felt like crying, as well. We had been ambushed, beaten, and taken all over the Fire Nation in disguises varying from circus performer outfits to being stuffed in suitcases and stowed in the cargo hold of a Fire Nation ship. That journey, most particularly, had been most painful. Not only were we forced to live in a small sack, but we were entirely separated. It was always harder when we couldn't make eye contact, I noticed. Even the costumes, the most horrible disguise, allowed us to be in the same room. We were not allowed anywhere near each other, and speaking to one another earned punishment, but being able to look into Katara's eyes… it was hard, but it helped with the pain.

We had no plan to escape. I was never one for plotting; that was always Sokka's role in our group. We couldn't talk to plan anything, and if we _did _try to leave, we would surely be caught. It had been made clear that we were not going to be left alone long enough to try anything. Even as I slept, I could feel the presence of two guards outside my door, one standing outside the miniscule window, and another sitting in the chair at the foot of my bed. If we wanted to stay alive, we would wait until we were released. Or until we died.

"Your girlfriend is an excellent dancer, Avatar." Ning whispered into my ear. I sighed, and continued to watch Katara spin around the floor, matching the music with perfection. "Maybe you should dance with her." The man said thoughtfully. I dearly wanted to look up, and see if he was stroking his chin as I imagined he was. I did not look up. "Of course, you would need to learn the choreography…" He sat in silence for a moment. The music picked up pace, slowed, and picked up once more. Katara's movement became faster, and more complex. The red and white kimono she wore was pulled taut as she threw herself over backwards, landing in a perfect backbend as the music stopped on a sudden "BUNGH!". Ning clapped, and Malai followed suit.

Katara brought herself out of the backbend, and stood in the center of the room, waiting for Ning's response. The tension in the room was nearly tangible. Tiny Yoko seemed to widen her eyes with pleading; it seemed she didn't want to play her flute again- I had lost count how many times Ning made Katara perform this dance, always saying that she missed a beat, or she was not fluid enough with her motions.

"Very good, sweet." Katara sighed.

"But…" The tension returned, "I want your boyfriend to dance with you."

I could feel the shock on my face. I didn't know the motions! How could I possibly dance with Katara… we would never succeed. Of course, more punishment. That's all they really wanted.

I grunted as Malai wrenched me off the floor, nearly falling as she pushed me into the center of the room. I nearly collided with Katara; she caught me by the forearms. We were very close. If under different circumstances, I would have blushed. I couldn't tell if she was blushing- the make up was too heavy.

I straightened myself, and stood next to Katara, looking at Ning, wondering if I was going to get some instruction, as he had talked about earlier.

"Right, Avatar, you do not know the moves, do you?" I shook my head, remaining silent. Katara's hand twitched next to mine, as though she yearned to take hold of it. I desperately wanted to grab her hand, let her know that I was scared, too. I looked straight ahead at Ning, who _was _stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Malai," my hopes shattered; I felt Katara shudder next to me. "will you take the Avatar and his girlfriend and kindly teach them the dance moves?"

"But, sir, the girl already knows the moves." Malai smiled maliciously. "She can simply teach him."

"No, I don't think she can."

"Really?" Malai kept up the curious façade, continuing to smile at me. "I was under the impression that she knew the dance perfectly."

"Oh she does." Ning raised a finger, as though to emphasize a nonexistent point. "But I have grown tired of this dance. I want to see another one." He wined, like a child. How strange, I thought, for an elderly man to stick out his bottom lip and sigh as though he were five years old. His kind and childish behavior did not make him merciful, though. Katara and I both knew that his intentions were far more horrible than simply teaching us a dance.

"What type of dance would you like me to teach the Avatar and his girlfriend, sir?" Yoko's eyes flashed, and she looked afraid.

"Oh, I don't know. I've really had enough of these high energy dances." He waved his hands out as he said 'high energy'. "I think we should try something much slower. Maybe even, oh, I don't know, romantic? I mean, it _is _the Avatar and his girlfriend. What a perfect couple!"

"What a wonderful idea, sir!" Malai cackled as she walked towards me and Katara. The instinct to take a step back, grab Katara, and run full out for the door was nearly overwhelming. I feared what would happen to us. Malai was easily the more vicious of the two, though Ning was obviously in command…

Katara's breath seemed to come in gasps; I could not turn to see her face. I couldn't move. Malai smiled widened as she closed the distance between us. Roughly grabbing my forearm, and presumably Katara's forearm as well, she dragged us out of the room. Her grip was tighter than I could have imagined- her nails were digging into my arm, and I was sure I would have a hand-shaped bruise.

I caught sight of Yoko's face as I was dragged out- her already wide eyes had widened further, and he thin face seemed absorbed by them. I had no time to contemplate the reason, though I was sure I knew what it was. Before the door slammed shut, I saw Ning rise out of his chair, making his way toward Yoko.

As the door slammed shut, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hallway.

"You still don't know where they are, do you?" I pressed as we flew on.

"Not at all."

"Then how are we going to find them?" I asked again. We'd had this conversation many times before, and it always ended the same way.

"We're going to look for some evidence of their presence. When we fly over it, we'll know the place, because we'll feel it."

"I'm not sure if it's going to work, Sokka."

"_I _think it will work." As always, he sounded slightly hurt when I rebuked his plan. I sighed. Again, this was how it ended. Every time.

"It's getting late. We should stop for the night." He flicked Appa's reigns just as I realized that the air was much colder than it had been what seemed like minutes ago. We landed on the ground moments later, and Appa gave a tired groan.

I lay flat on the ground, too tired to bother setting up my Earth tent. Sokka's snores filled the quite air around me, thickening it. And, like a lullaby, soothed me to sleep.

I yelped as Chao tossed me carelessly back into my cell. I skidded across the floor, scratching my face and hands. From the sound of it, Katara had been returned to her cell in much the same manner.

I rolled over, not bothering to sit up, and stared at the ceiling. How much more of this could I take before I went insane? As much as I wanted to, I could not trigger the Avatar State, and it seemed that our captors were very careful to avoid anything that might trigger it. Mental pain, that was what they liked. Physical punishment was Malai's favorite, but her words were even harsher than her weapons, white hot and stinging.

"You know, Avatar" she had said, "if you hadn't ventured out, you'd never be in this mess. Those bumbling idiots couldn't believe they had captured the _Avatar_ of all people. You must be much weaker than the stories say." To tell the truth, Katara and I were captured while we were sleeping. By the time we'd realized we were no longer under the cover of trees, we were bound and gagged, riding across the Earth Kingdom.

In the cell adjacent from mine, I heard stifled sobs. Katara's cell. I so desperately wanted to call out to her, to let her know that it would be alright. Even if I was lying, I wanted to do _something_…

"Get up, scum." The guard roughly grabbed me on the shoulders and lifted me onto my bed. If one could call it that. The guard chuckled roughly.

"Your girlfriend sure does cry a lot." I rolled onto my side, facing the wall. He chuckled once more.

"She's a nice catch. You're a lucky guy." Shut up. "If you two make it out of this, I'll want an invite to the wedding."

I briefly imagined myself smothering him in rocks. It would be all to easy…

No. I mustn't. They would hurt Katara again. Mental punishment, again.

I drowned out the guard's taunting voice, longing to be with Katara. Somehow, it seemed that I would make it through this situation if we were together. That, though, was the first rule that had been established when we arrived.

"You two," Ning had said, "will not be anywhere near each other unless I allow it. No talking, no bending, and no messages." At least he hadn't banned eye contact…

I drifted off, trying to get as much sleep as I could. It wouldn't be much. I briefly wondered if Toph and Sokka were coming to rescue us, or if they had assumed we had run off, as we had been joking about the night before.

"Can you _please_ tell me why you two are whispering?" Sokka had shouted to me and Katara.

"Well, isn't it obvious, Sokka?" Toph had said, smiling when she said Sokka's name, as she had taken to doing.

"No…"

"They're making plans to elope!" Toph exclaimed, her voice dripping with antagonism.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we're doing." Katara laughed, and I laughed with her. Laughing seemed nearly impossible, now…

"I knew it would happen someday." Toph said nonchalantly, leaning against Sokka's knees.

"Well, I didn't!" Sokka said with a mock pout.

"You know, Aang," Katara turned to me, "maybe we should elope. Then we can talk without those two interrupting." I had liked that idea very, very much.

"That sounds reasonable." I said, standing. I grabbed Katara's hand to pull her up. We had walked away, our hands laced together, without another word.

What a great way to say goodbye. I punched the wall, shaking it when it rebounded off the hard metal with a reverberating "CLANG!", and ignoring the guard's echoing laughter, bouncing off the walls and seeming to shake the cell.

It was like a hundred people were laughing with the guard. Laughing as Toph and Sokka did when Katara and I walked away, hand in hand. This laughter, though, provided no feeling of security or friendship…

It made me feel laughed at.

* * *

Yay! :3

I had a hard time writing this- I wanted Aang to talk! D:  
Still, he can't talk. Not yet.

I SAID NOTHING!!

Psh. You know your mind went to strange places when Aang and Katara were trapped in those awesomesauce suitcases. You _KNOW _it did!

Reviews More chapters. 3


	3. Stalwart Intellective Aptitudes

A/N: I am eating an ice pop and typing this one handed. 8D

I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter, mainly because it's all about thinking and stuff.

Flyleaf is very inspirational... xD

Happy reading! :3

* * *

Some people have the power to endure great physical pain in silence

Some people have the power to endure great physical pain in silence. I sometimes consider myself to be that type of person, preferring not to cry out when I am hurt and thus seeming weak.

However, I have seen that it is a much greater talent if one can endure a large amount of mental and emotional without screaming in agony. By trapping oneself inside, he or she becomes emotionally stronger with each passing second, to the point where he or she is a mental rock, and nothing can hurt him.

I do not posses this talent.

I've come to realize that a talent such as this is rarely learned, and cannot be taught. I either have it or I don't. The fact that my cloth of a pillow is tearstained and my throat ached with past sobs each morning only proved, to me, that I was, and am, weak.

I could not, and will not, stand the idea of becoming an unfeeling stone. My own heart would not allow it. Every time I saw her put on a brave face and allow herself to be demeaned, what hardness of my heart that had materialized over night instantly shattered, and I wanted to sob, despite the fact that a thirteen year old boy wailing on the floor is generally frowned upon. Her false courage somehow broke me down as I was forced to watch whatever they threw at her, whether it be hard objects or harsh words, and my heart ached.

If it would have allowed her to escape, I would have happily turned myself over or allowed myself to be killed. But it wouldn't have worked. And I know that it wouldn't have worked, because Ning's intentions were clear: we would never leave the house in which we were held.

There would be no escape.

--

"Toph, wake up." I felt my shoulders shake, and a groan escaped my lips.

"Taaawwwffff." Sokka said as he shook my shoulders. My mind slowly registered that, eventually, I'd have to wake up.

Suddenly, hot breath blew into my ear.

"Ahh!" I shouted, flailing about and rolling onto my stomach. The feeling was disgusting. Laughing, Sokka sat next to me.

"What did you do that for, you butthead?!" I screeched, digging my finger into my ear, trying to rid it of the moisture. He continued to laugh; I sat up and punched his shoulder.

"Ow. Sorry!" He said. It pleased me that I had managed to hurt him; my ear still tickled. "I had to wake you up somehow, you know."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to do it quite like that, did you?!"

"No…" I imagined him pouting, with his lower lip stuck out. Just like a child. "But it was funny. And you're awake."

"Great observation, Sokka. You should become a professor at Ba Sing Se university,"

"Wow, thank you Toph!" I could almost see the stars in his eyes "Wait… you didn't mean that, did you?"

"No, I totally meant it," I pushed myself up, and held out my hand to pull him up. "Professor Sokka." He grabbed my hand, and I wrenched him up.

"Well, Toph, I suppose this makes you my student."

"What? No it doesn't!"

"Sure it does. You're younger than me, aren't you? So you have a lot to learn from a great professor like me." Why was he so bright at the strangest times?

"Yeah, but…"

"See?" The annoying demeanor Sokka had mastered was running rampant today… "Now, as your Professor, I shall teach you your first lesson!"

"And what would that be?" I sighed.

"We will mount this magnificent creature, the Sky Bison, and he shall take us to lands unknown." Appa roared, and it sounded as though he were laughing at Sokka. "And in these lands unknown, we shall do the unthinkable! Does anyone know what we shall attempt?"

I raised my hand.

"Let's see… Toph!"

"Will we rescue the Avatar?"

"Aha! Very close, my young student. In fact, we will not only rescue the Avatar, but my sister as well! We'll be rescuing the ever confident and slightly over motherly KATARA!" It sounded as though he was now hosting some sort of carnival game…

"Well, Professor Sokka, how do we go about this journey?"

"Simple, my young maiden. We board the amazing Sky Bison, and he will take us to any destination, provided we feed him from time to time, of course."

I sighed, fighting the urge to laugh, and climbed onto Appa after Sokka. Of course he would continue the idea of a Professor… it was easier to play along…

"Now, Ms. Bei Fong, do you know the magic words?"

"Sokka, there aren't any magic words."

"Toph, its Professor Sokka, remember."

"Fine." I sighed as a wrapped my arms around his right arm. "Is it "Yip, yip", Professor?"

"Why, yes, it is! You are an excellent student, Ms. Bei Fong!"

"Thank you, Professor Sokka." I chuckled. "How long will I have to call you that?"

"Until you graduate, of course. Then I will simply be a former teacher, lost in your memories…" He sniffled.

"Sokka, be serious!" I was tired of this game, now. "Do you have any idea where Aang and Katara are yet?"

"Of course not. You didn't expect me to think about that in my sleep, did you?" I punched his arm. "Ow! You're going to leave a bruise, Toph!"

"Well stop being an idiot! If we're not going to find them, we might as well go back to the Air Temple and just wait for them to show up."

"But we'll find them."

"How do you know, Sokka?"

"Because we'll see some sign that they're there, of course."

"You don't actually think they eloped, do you?" It was just a joke… surely they didn't take it seriously…

"It's a possibility, you know… but I'm thinking they were captured. If they really did elope, they would have taken Appa." That was a good point... I should have seen that.

"So… what kind of sign are you looking for?"

"Oh, I don't know… if the Fire Nation captured them, they wouldn't make it public… I suppose we'll have to ask the locals if they've seen anything suspicious."

"Locals? Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the Fire Nation. I don't know exactly where, but we're nowhere near the capitol. I don't think they would keep them in the capitol, though. Aang knows the city too well, and the air is moist enough—Katara could pull water out of it…" He was lost in his own thoughts, now.

"So… we're going to ask these Fire Nation residents if they've seen anything weird?"

"Yes! Like a bald boy with an arrow on his head. Or a girl that looked ready to kill."

"But… the Fire Nation probably would have disguised them or something…"

He gasped "You're right, Toph!" I rolled my eyes "So we'll have to take a different approach!"

"We're not going to ask the locals?"

"No, we're still going to ask the locals. We'll just ask them different questions. What color are Aang's eyes?"

"What?! I don't know!" I almost punched him again… a raindrop fell on my nose. I wiped it away.

"Oh… Sorry…"

"Nice, Sokka. But I can tell you that he's light on his feet. And Katara sometimes struts."

"That's good, Toph… Katara's eyes are blue…. And I think Aang's eyes are a grayish color…"

"Why do their eyes matter?" Another raindrop fell. Maybe it was going to storm.

"Because you can't change the color of someone's eyes, Toph."

"You can't?" This was news to me. What were colors…? What color were Sokka's eyes? What color were my eyes? Why did they have different colors?

"No… of course not… that'd be silly."

"I…didn't know that." I paused to wipe yet another raindrop off my face. "What color are my eyes?"

"Your eyes are a milky green." He said immediately. I blinked. Why did he know that off the top of his head?

"What color are your eyes?" I asked meekly.

"Blue. Just like Katara's."

"They match?" The concept of eyes was fascinating me…what did blue look like, though? Frustration invaded my childlike wonder.

"Yes," he chuckled "our eyes match. Her eyes are a different shape, though."

"Eyes can have different shapes?!" My frustration vanished in an instant. He laughed.

"Are you amazed by this conversation?"

"Yes…"

"What if I'm lying to you? What if everyone's eyes are the same, and there isn't any difference?"

"You… wouldn't lie to me about that…" He wouldn't lie… he was the one who just said that someone's eye color couldn't be changed, right?

"Maybe I would."

"But you're not lying to me, Sokka. Your heartbeat is regular."

"Maybe I'm a good liar." He chuckled again. I pictured him smirking… if only my watery mental images were half as good as the real thing.

I laughed. "You're a horrible liar."

"Ah. Maybe that's true. I'm not old enough to be a professor, you know."

--

"The Avatar and his girlfriend are excellent dancers, wouldn't you agree, Malai?"

"Yes, they really are, sir."

I stood Katara up out of a deep dip. We had learned a dance. After being interrogated about illogical and impossible events, of course. Because we had no answers, we were punished. Rather, Katara was punished and I was forced to watch.

"Sir, do you think they'll ever leave?"

"No, of course not!" Ning's mouth formed a perfect O.

"Well, I think they would love to escape, Sir." Malai leaned to one side and smirked at me. I blinked, trying to keep the fear from showing through my eyes. Beside me, Katara gave a small squeak and her hand twitched slightly. I so desperately wanted to grab it…

"I don't think they'll leave, Sir." Chao said, taking a step towards Ning.

"Thank you, Chao." Chao returned to his original spot immediately. "Now, Avatar, I've noticed that you haven't spoken since you arrived here." I froze. "Can you tell me why that is?"

I stood in uncomfortable silence.

"Ahh… well, Avatar, I've always been curious to here what your voice sounds like. I'll have to make you talk, somehow." He paused. "Sit down, please." I raised my eyebrows. He mimicked my action flawlessly. "Sit down, Avatar. Just as you did yesterday." I continued to stare blankly at him—I did not want to leave Katara's side.

Malai smirked, and stood up. I took a step back—her face contained a malice that chilled my blood. Faster than I would have expected, she was behind me, and had a grip on my shoulder. "Sit down, Avatar." She hissed, pushing me towards Ning.

I scowled at the floor, and arranged myself so I was sitting, again, at Ning's feet. Katara was now visibly shaking.

"Now, Avatar, I see that you and your girlfriend are very quiet. Your previous captors," my mind flew to Zhoa, "noted that this is not usual for you…" he patted my head. I pulled it away, never taking my eyes off of Katara. "However, Miss, Katara, is it?" Katara's eyes widened as Ning spoke her name. "I've been informed that you are not a silent prisoner. You've even allowed yourself to be captured, and then tried to lead a revolt. Is that correct?" Katara blinked and looked at the floor.

"Wretch, answer him!" Malai shouted. How dare she call Katara a wretch!

"Yes, Miss Katara, answer me. I do wish to know what your voice sounds like." Ning put the tips of his fingers together and rested his chin on them. He focused his eyes at the ceiling, as though he were pondering life and its wonders. I could hear Katara's breath coming in ragged gasps as she tried to steady herself. Ning lowered his eyes to her level. "I see…. Chao."

Chao grinned and set down his drum. Katara immediately took a step back from him, but not before the brute lashed a fire whip at her. Katara jumped out of the way, and the flames missed her by several feet; Chao was obviously not a good shot. I made to get up, but Ning's hand pulled me down. "Watch, Avatar." No…

Katara continued to dance out of the way of Chao's flames, and, judging by the way her eyes flitted around the room, looking for some source of water. I continued to attempt to help her, but Ning continued to hold me back, saying "No, Avatar…"

Right before my eyes, Chao finally managed to land a blow on Katara. She shrieked as she fell. I shouted "NO!", Yoko and Yoon gasped, and Ning clapped.

"The Avatar spoke! Look, Malai, he even shouted!" Ning said cheerfully. I ignored him as I rushed towards Katara. She wasn't badly burned—it probably wouldn't even scar. She grimaced and tried to sit up. I pushed her back down. She glared angrily at Chao, who was grinning at Ning, looking for the elderly man's approval. Ning, however, was talking animatedly to Malai, while she seemed genuinely uninterested. Ning ended the conversation abruptly, and stood up.

"The Avatar and his girlfriend will be spending the night together!" He announced. "Yoon, ready the deluxe cell, and make sure it has enough feminine touches to satisfy the Avatar's girlfriend, but don't make it too frilly, please." Yoon raised her eyebrows in shocked disbelief, but left the room anyway. As she closed the door, she looked apologetically at me, or maybe she was looking at Katara… I couldn't tell.

"Yoko!" The young flutist jumped. "will you kindly ready a bowl of water, and strategically place it in the exact center of the deluxe cell?"

"Why the exact center, Sir?" Yoko asked timidly.

"Because I asked you to, Yoko." Ning narrowed his eyes. Yoko rushed out the door. "Chao, carry Miss Katara to her room."

I stood up. "I can do it."

"Why, Avatar, you are speaking!" Ning clapped his hands together. "But that won't be necessary. You don't even know where the deluxe cell is, and Chao will be happy to do the job. He knows where the cell is, after all."

"I'd prefer to carry Katara, if you don't mind."

"Oh, but I do mind. You, see, Avatar, by allowing the two of you to be near each other, I am giving you a chance to discuss an escape. Surely you want to speak to your girlfriend. Unless you want me to separate the two of you once more, you shall do as I say."

* * *

WHOO! wipes forehead

After I was done writing this, I realized that I really liked doing it. :DD

Comments, Crits, Concerns? :3

Much Love,

Para.

**Remember: ReviewsNew Chapter**


	4. Coup De Main

**A/N**: Oh...my... gosh.

I have killed my brain trying to write this wretched chapter. You kids _better_ like it, or I'll... eat you, or something. xO

5,750 words. My goal was 5,000. OOO:

Read, betches.

* * *

KATARA

I curled tighter against Aang's chest and fought the sobs that were threatening to escape. Chao had finally set me down after carting me threw a plethora of hallways, and swinging me about the deluxe cell, ignoring my protests. When Aang interfered, Malai finally stepped in, saying "Kindly allow the Avatar to enjoy his girlfriend, Chao". The urge to cry out strengthened considerably as I remembered the malice on her face as she said the word 'girlfriend'. She made the word sound sinister, like it was a dangerous weapon.

"It's alright, Katara…" Aang had tried to soothe me again and again, but everything was not alright. It was completely and utterly wrong. He and I had been captured and towed across the Earth Kingdom, finally entering the Fire Nation, where we were dumped into this horrible place. We didn't know if Toph and Sokka were even searching for us, or if they believed we had really eloped, as we joked about. That last happy memory burned against my aching heart, and a small tear leaked out. I made to brush it away—I wanted to hide it—but Aang beat me.

"Let me…" he brushed across my cheek, wiping the tear away. I looked at the floor—I wasn't embarrassed, just sad. We were sharing a close—almost intimate—moment, and, more than anything, I wanted to be somewhere else, sharing the same moment. Hundreds of places flew to my mind, but, for whatever odd reason, sitting around that fire, with Toph and Sokka, seemed most appealing.

I wanted to be with my brother and my friend. I wanted to be with Aang, wrapped comfortably in his arms, as we were now, sitting happily without worry with Toph and Sokka. If I had my way, Aang and I would never have woken up, and we'd still be lying under the stars, hidden by the cover of night and the forest canopy. We wouldn't die; I didn't want that, of course. I wanted the easy feeling of friendship, the one that seeped so easily through those last moments around the campfire, and the same one that fled immediately as Aang and I woke up to find ourselves in the darkness of a ship.

--

I heard a slight knock on the door before a small, timid voice asked: "May I come in?"

"Yes," I replied, pulling my knees against my chest and scooting closer to Aang where he sat against the far wall. Yoko stepped in, carrying a tray with water and bread. She took a step toward us, and stopped. Chao entered noisily behind her, smirking when he spied Aang and me, now cowering slightly on the floor.

"Ning requests the Avatar's presence immediately." Aang and I exchanged a look. His said, 'Don't worry about me,' while I hoped mine said 'Please don't leave'. "Now, Avatar." Chao growled. With a sweeping motion, he picked Aang up by the forearms and half dragged him out of the room. The door slammed, and Yoko turned apologetically to me.

"I'm sorry you've been put through all of this, Miss Katara," She said, he voice a bit stronger now that Chao was gone. Her big, bright eyes turned on me. "I understand if you hate me, though I honestly hope you don't. I'd rather not be here myself, actually." She remained standing over me, looking at me as though she were scared I was about to lash out at her. I didn't feel hate, or anything similar to hate, towards her, however. I felt… curious.

"I don't hate you, Yoko…" I mumbled, listening to the gravely sound of my own voice; the lack of speaking had obviously taken its toll. Yoko smiled warmly, and set the tray down by my feet. I noticed two cups and two loaves of bread--one for Aang and one for me. It felt thoughtful, but I wasn't hungry.

"Thank you, Miss Katara." What was with the 'Miss Katara' thing? "This is a horrible experience for all of us, but I know that it has been particularly awful for you and your friend…unless he really is your boyfriend." She added when I jumped at the word 'friend'. I sighed.

"Aang and I are… I don't know what we are." Yoko nodded. I vaguely wondered how old she was, and I was desperate to change the subject. "What do you mean by 'this is a horrible experience for all of us'?" Her eyes hardened, and she sat across from me.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pressed about you and the Avatar. Aang, isn't it?" She was so polite… "What I meant by the horrible experience is: no one wants to be doing this. Except perhaps Malai and Chao. Ning is following orders from a higher officer, but Malai is the truly viscous of the two. But I suppose you already know that." She eyed the various cuts on my arms and legs. I had managed to heal many of them using the water Ning had Yoko deliver to the cell two days ago, but several were either too deep or too large to completely heal. "Yoon and I were brought here against our will, and now we work as 'servants'. Chao was here before us, and it has been clear that he wishes to become part of the Army. He wants to do what Malai does." Torture people?

"So you two don't want to be here, either."

"No. My parents were considered traitors—they hid Earth Kingdom prisoners in the house. They were executed by order of Fire Lord Ozai, and I was brought here after I turned ten. Yoon was caught trying to escape her burning village in the Earth Kingdom. They chose not to kill her—she was the only survivor. Though she does say that she'd rather be dead than here." Yoko added sadly. I thought of my mother, and felt oddly joyful that I had not been taken as a prisoner when she died.

"I'm sorry…" I didn't know what else to say.

"Oh, Miss Katara, you don't have to be sorry! Absolutely none of this is your fault. Until the world is completely right again, this is the way it will be." Completely right again. That stung.

The war had ended—the Fire Lord was defeated—and Zuko had taken the throne. Azula was locked away on an island somewhere, being rehabilitated; the thought of her being locked in a cell still gave me the urge to cackle. Yet, the world was still in turmoil. Ozai's supporters were still being rounded up, and the nations were slowly learning to trust one another again. But the process what exceedingly slow. I wondered if the world had fallen into another war without Aang to settle things as the Avatar. This new world needed him to take of things, like a newborn child needs a parent to care for and raise it until it is ready to go on its own without hurting itself.

The thought of Aang as "Avatar Aang" made me a little sad. I didn't want to think of him as something more than simply "Aang, my friend who happens to be able to bend all four elements and is the last Airbender in existence." I wouldn't let a silly title ruin the way I thought of him.

A clanging sound and a shout that seemed to come from down the hallway shook me out of my thoughts. Yoko's eyes shot open—she also seemed to have been deep in thought—and she stood up and faced the door. I peered around her legs, and the clanging continued, growing ever louder—whatever was making the noise was approaching ever closer.

Aang fell through the door, followed by Chao. I gasped, wanting to help in whatever way I could though I had no idea what was actually going on, but Aang raised to his feet a smacked Chao in the face with an Air whip. Staggering backwards, Chao groaned, and ran down the hall, his huge feet echoing louder than the clangs.

Aang breathed heavily, standing in the doorway and watching Chao run. His face was contorted with a strange mix of rage and hurt—maybe he'd gotten burned.

"Aang…"

"What!?" He turned sharply, his glare filled with anger. I shrank against the wall, not wanting to make him angrier. He blinked several times, and relaxed his shoulders. Yoko shifted her weight from one hip to the other.

"Uhm… I think I'll go now. It was nice talking to you, Miss Katara." She said shyly, inching out of the room. When she passed Aang, she smiled sadly at him—she was shorter than him, maybe even shorter than Toph—and then scurried quickly out the cell.

"Aang…" I said again. He turned more slowly this time, and I saw that his face was not contorted with the same amount of anger, though I still saw a trace of the fury he was now trying to hide. What had happened? "Are you… alright?" I stood up off the floor, and started to make my way to him.

"Stop, Katara." I halted immediately. "I need to calm down a bit more."

"What… was going on?"

"He took me to see Malai, not Ning…" _Malai is the truly viscous of the two, _I recalled Yoko saying. I scanned Aang's body hungrily, to see if he bore any new cuts, but he didn't seem to be hurt.

"What did they do to you…?" I pressed. I wanted to help him—I couldn't stand to see him like this. He raised his eyes to match level with mine, took a step foreword, and fell onto me with a sob.

--

TOPH

"Have you seen a boy with a blue arrow on his head?"

"Do you mean the Avatar? Yeah, I saw him on a poster a few weeks ago…"

"No, I mean: have you actually seen him?!" Sokka pressed. I sighed. Wasn't he the one who said we couldn't simply ask questions about an arrow?

"No, boy. Now, get out my shop." Sokka huffed, grabbed my hand, and stomped out of the meat store.

"They were horribly rude!" He sulked.

"Because they wouldn't let you buy all the meat in the store, or because they kicked us out for holding up the line with questions about someone they've never met."

"Both." He paused. Pondering, I supposed. "But especially the first one. Why can't I buy all the meat in the store? It'll go bad if _someone_ doesn't buy it."

"Sokka," I said, noticing that he had not released my hand. I decided that I would not point this out to him. "This may be a huge surprise to you, but there are other people in the world who want to buy meat."

"Well…those people can go somewhere else." He pouted. I chuckled.

"I don't think Aang and Katara are here, anyway. I would've recognized Aang's footsteps by now."

"You know, Toph, you pay a lot of attention to Aang's footsteps." Sokka said suddenly, as though the thought just came to him.

"Maybe that's because he walks like he's not trying to touch the ground, Sokka. And you walk as though you're trying to dance." This was not entirely true, but I wanted t see his reaction.

"I dance when I walk?" He didn't sound mortified, as I had anticipated. He sounded more or less astounded. "I must look extremely intimidating, then." I could almost see his stupid grin.

"Actually, Sokka, I lied. You don't dance when you walk." I shifted my hand slightly in his—it was rather humid outside, and my palm was starting to sweat. I didn't bother me, but I couldn't quite say the same for him.

"I don't?" Now he sounded heartbroken.

"No… you walk like you're always waiting for something exciting to happen, but only when you're simply walking around. When you're running, you sometimes jump and flail about, like you're fighting off things that aren't there." I laughed. "And your steps are really loud, too."

"Ohh… Why did you tell me that I danced when I walk? It was unkind, you know."

"Sorry...I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Well it was still—really?"

"Yeah…? That's really why I tease you, Sokka. Because you act like an idiot and it's really funny."

"Well… can I tease you?" He asked; I could almost hear the evil grin I was certain was plastered on his face seeping through his question.

"Why would you want to tease me?" I retorted, putting all my weight on one hip. I remembered his words from the Air Temple, however, and shifted myself so that my weight was distributed evenly. Somehow, I felt less threatening and mean this way. I put my weight on my hip again.

"Because I want to see your reaction." He said. "Toph, when you eat, you make a lot of slurping sounds."

"Sokka, you're going to have to come up with a better way to tease me than that." I laughed again.

"Do I get credit for trying?" He asked, leaning down to my level.

"No, you don't. You only get credit for succeeding." I worked to keep my breathing steady as I slowly registered the way we probably looked to others: like a couple. Holding hands (Sokka had not realized that our hands were still cupped together), him leaning down to me, me standing on one foot. And I felt quite certain we were whispering. How was he so good at getting me to whisper? I never did it before… "Anyway, we need to concentrate on finding Aang and Katara."

"You're right, Toph! Here the two of us are, talking about teasing one another when we should be looking for the Avatar! Are you sure they aren't here?"

"I'm sure."

"Good. I didn't like this town anyway." Because they restricted your meat buying? I thought. "Let's get out of here. Maybe we can hunt or something…" he walked away, pulling me by the hand just as he did when he led me out of the store.

"You mean that you'll be hunting, right?" I said as I followed him through the crowded street, concentrating on stringing the words together correctly and ignoring the tingling feeling that was coursing through my body and seemed to origin from my right hand. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was all very _stupid_. I shouldn't be feeling like this. Especially not about Sokka. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Yeah, since I am the man around here, I guess I will be doing the hunting. Will you cook for me?" Sokka said, oblivious to my internal struggle. He pulled me closer to him when a cart pulled by a very loud Ostrich Horse rattled past us, and my breath caught in my throat. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! _I thought furiously.

"Sokka, you and I both know that I would never be able to cook for you without burning something down. Like you, for instance, or a small village." We crossed a street, dodging a papaya thrown by a middle-aged woman who was obviously angry with her husband, who was obviously near me and Sokka.

"I bet you could learn. Maybe, when we find her, Katara can teach you!" Two kids cackled as they ran by, chased by a fat salesman who was shouting "You gotta pay fo' the veg'ables!" I repressed the urge to laugh at both Sokka and the salesman.

"Are you trying to tease me again?"

"You know, maybe I am. I haven't decided yet." He truly sounded thoughtful. I heard a small tinkling noise—a little girl was tinkering with some sort of musical device. She had no rhythm, but the sound was very pretty.

"You seriously need to work on your material. You're not very good at teasing me."

"I will work on my material, and I will make you freak out. I promise."

"When are you planning to go about that?" The sounds of the busy street faded as Sokka and I walked away from the town; I was happy to leave. The many sounds and activities took away from what was really important: talking with Sokka and making sure he didn't realize that we were still holding hands. And finding Aang and Katara, of course.

--

Sokka had realized that we were still holding hands after he let go of it when we mounted Appa. To my great amusement, he bragged that he was the only guy who would be able to hold my hand for any length of time without being launched twenty feet in the air via Earthbending. Though I would never say it out loud, he was right.

--

SOKKA

"Look, Toph, an island!" I said, pointing down at what appeared to be a little dabbling of brown in a world of blue.

"Sokka, I can't see it, remember?"

"Oh…sorry, I forgot." Toph punched me in the arm. "But it's down there. Do you think we should check it out?"

"It's worth a try." She replied, hugging my arm closer as I flicked Appa's reigns to begin the descent. I took it slow—I knew she didn't like flying, and a quick landing would not improve her somewhat sour mood. I wasn't sure what had caused it, but I realized, after some careful consideration and tough thinking, I decided that it started after we were flying.

Toph continued to hold onto my arm as we slid down Appa's side and onto the ground of this island I had spotted earlier. "Toph," I said, shaking my arm slightly; maybe she had forgotten that she was still clinging to me. When she didn't respond, I began to pull my arm out of her constricting grip. "Toph, you're still holding onto me…"

"Hmmm… is that so?" She murmured. She sounded tired, and I wondered how late it was. Looking up at the sky, I saw that the sun had not yet set, but it looked as though it might rain. I tried to pull my arm out of her grip again.

"Uh, yeah. We've landed, and you can let go of it now."

"I'm trying to decide if I like it." She whispered. I twisted my neck to look at her face. Her hair was covering her eyes, as per usual. A gust of wet wind—it felt like hot breath—blew through the island, shaking the trees, rustling the leaves on the ground, and—conveniently—momentarily sweeping Toph's hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth and eyebrows were relaxed. It was Toph's way of a blank expression. Unless, of course, she was daydreaming, or something…

"Like what? My arm?" Her eyes snapped open. She glared—rather, she puckered her mouth and knitted her eyebrows—at me as though I had interrupted something very important.

"No, you meathead, the island. I can't tell whether or not there are other people here. There aren't any animals, though." Her retort was acidic. She let go of my arm and shoved it into me. I took a step back, taken aback.

"What do you mean there aren't any animals?" I said. It sounded angrier than I meant it to be.

"I mean exactly what I said. There aren't any animals on this island."

"And no people, either?"

"I can't tell. But the two of us are the only people who are fairly close to where we are."

"I guess this was a waste of time, then." I sighed, leaning over and staring at the ground. We were getting nowhere, and this constant searching was tedious. "Sorry. It's my fault we landed here."

"Well, I forgive you, meathead." Toph replied. Her voice sounded very far away. I looked up—she had he back turned to me. I wondered if I had made her mad. "But it looks like we'll have to stay the night here."

"It's going to rain." I pointed out.

"Is that why I just felt a raindrop hit my foot?"

"Yes, I think it is!" I said, straightening up. "I should set up the tent and the tarp…"

"I don't need a tarp, thanks." Toph said, stamping her foot and erecting an earth tent. I was so _jealous_ that she was able to do that. "My tent's all set up."

"Oh…that's great. I'll set up my tent." I took a step toward Appa, who was already sheltering in the forest. "All alone," Another step taken. "By myself. With no help from a friend."

Toph sat up in her tent. "Sokka, do you want to share my tent?" She asked blatantly, getting my hints. I jumped over to her.

"Yes, Toph! I _do_ want to share your tent with you! Let me get my sleeping bag." I rushed over to Appa, grabbed my sleeping bag off of his back, and hurried back to Toph's tent, where she was making her creation bigger. Much wider, I noticed.

"There, Sokka." She said, lying back down on the ground. I rolled out my sleeping bag, positioning it close to her, but not close enough for me to roll on top of her during the night, and slipped inside.

"Goodnight, Toph."

"Goodnight, Meathead."

--

TOPH

I lay awake for the better half of the night, hating and loving the fact that it was raining. I hated it because it constantly pattered the ground, sending millions of tiny vibrations across the Earth, and keeping me awake. I loved it because it gave me an excuse to close up my tent completely, thus trapping me and Sokka inside, though I hated it for this reason as well. I also hated it because Sokka's snores echoed off the stone walls, causing yet another distraction.

I didn't sleep well, to say the least.

The next morning I woke up earlier than I wanted, and crabbier than I would have liked. I shook Sokka awake, and, after demolishing the tent in the most destructive way possible, we went on a search for breakfast. Despite my constant reminders that there were no animals on the island, Sokka set out on a search for some sort of meat. I decided to lie on the ground, no matter the dampness, and try taking a small nap.

I seemed like I just closed my eyes when I heard Sokka's heavy footsteps approaching, and they sounded as though they were running. Sighing, I sat up.

"Toph! Toph! I found something!" Sokka shouted, panting. He grabbed my shoulders, trying to pull me off the ground. I fought him off—I didn't want to be lifted.

"Is it food?" I hissed from my place on the ground.

"Well, no." How I wanted to hit him… "I found a building, or some kind of structure! Aang and Katara may be in there! Come on, Toph!" He grabbed my hand and began to pull me across the ground. "We've got to see if what I suspect is true!"

"Sokka,"

"This is amazing, we might have found them!"

"Sokka,"

"And to think that it was on an island with no meat. No wonder they picked this place—they must've known I wouldn't stay very long."

"SOKKA! LET GO OF ME!" He released me, huffing as though I had taken away his dinner. I stood up, rearranging my tunic where it had gotten pulled out of place when he dragged me. "Now, tell me about this 'structure' you found, and don't drag me all over the place!"

"Well, I was looking for an animal to hunt, but, like you said, there weren't any. Then I found this amazingly huge bush! It was absolutely covered in berries. And they smelled good, so they had to be edible. Following my manly instincts," I huffed, "I tasted one. I decided that it was good to eat, so I began to pick more off the bush. As I was picking, I noticed that it wasn't just one bush, it was actually a plethora of these huge, berry-filled bushes!" I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. Where was he going with this? "I was still picking the berries when I realized that the bushes were excellently trimmed, and they curved slightly. Once again, I followed my instincts." I kicked the ground, enjoying the feeling of newly dried dirt between my toes. "I followed all of the bushes, and I figured out that they wrapped around in a circular shape. Being the incredibly brave warriors that I am, I stepped into one of the bushes, and I felt this cold thing on my hand, and I realized that it was metal. And that's when I went running back to you."

"Did you get the berries?"

"The what?"

"The berries, Sokka, did you get the berries! Did you bring them back?"

"Uhm…no. I dropped them when I figured out that the bushes were hiding something." Walking over to him, I kicked him in the shins. "OW! Sorry!"

"Yeah, you better me." I murmured, walking away.

"Toph, wait! We've got to fly!" He caught up to me, grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around. "Come on, get on Appa. My instincts are telling me that Aang and Katara are in there!" He steered me toward Appa.

"Right. Instincts."

--

"Yes! I was right!"

"So there is a building down there?" I scowled.

"Yep! Let's see if we can get into it. Yip, yip." I closed my eyes and held on to Sokka's arms as Appa began the descent, screaming when Appa turned on the drop of a hat. Sokka chuckled.

"What are you doing?!" I screeched.

"Waiting to see your reaction." If we weren't in the air, I would have knocked him off the stupid, fluffy Bison.

--

"Well, you were right. There is a building here, and it's mostly metal. The base is made of something weird, though. I can't see it." I said, forcing my war through the thick bushes surrounding the building Sokka had spotted from the sky. I broke off a branch, throwing it to the ground. "Help me." I broke off another branch, this one larger than the last. Sokka took hold of it, pulling it away from me.

"Why are we tearing apart the bush?" He asked, behind me. With a snapping noise, he broke off a higher branch. I assumed it was blocking his face.

"Because we need to get through them to get in the building." I kicked a lower branch away from the stem of the shrub. How thick were these things?

"Oh, ok." He said, circling his arms around my head. He broke off another upper branch, nearly hitting me with it, and threw it to the ground.

We continued to rip apart the plant for several silent minutes, slowly reaching our destination. "Ah." I said, kicking the metal wall. Thick.

"Did we make it?" He asked from behind me. Not allowing myself to register his closeness, I placed my hand on the wall.

"Stand back." I punched the wall. He cheered. "Was that really necessary?" I snapped, whipping my head around.

"But you dented it!" He said. Still in a sour mood due to a lack of sleep and food, I punched the wall again, harder than I probably should have, but it did break through. He cheered again. This time, I hit the wall with both hands, palms facing me, breaking the wall completely. I smirked, he whooped.

--

KATARA

"Did you hear that?" Aang asked suddenly, his mouth full of bread. I looked up from my own piece of nourishment, and saw that he was looking at the far wall.

"No… what was it?"

"It sounded like a loud clanging sound. And then a weird sound…"

"I didn't hear anything, Aang."

"No, no, no, there it is again!" I strained my ears, trying to listen. This time I _did _hear a banging sound and another sound following it. It sounded like a…cheer. "Did you hear it?"

"Yeah, I did hear it! What do you think it was?" I said, scooting closer to Aang. Whatever it was, I didn't like it.

"I don't know…" He said. I heard the same sound again, this time louder than the last. I gasped, hoping that it wasn't Chao or Malai, hatching some new scheme to torture us with. Aang took my hand; we stood up and relocated ourselves from the general center of the room to the wall opposite the mysterious noises.

After several minutes, nothing else happened.

--

TOPH

"Ok, Sokka, I know the layout of the building. I couldn't see it last night because the base is entirely made of ice. I think it must've been built over a lake, and they froze it. From where we are there's a door a little way ahead that leads down into that frozen lake, but we'll have to crawl inside the walls do get there—the layer I just broke through was just protection. Everything else is made of stone."

"You're amazing, Toph." I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks, and hoped that he couldn't see it.

"Come on," I said, taking his hand and leading him into the hole I had made in the wall. We scaled the inner space between the metal and rock, moving to the right.

"It's dark." Sokka commented.

"Wow. What an observation." I hissed.

"Sorry."

Several more minutes passed before we reached the steps I was looking for. Sokka immediately relaxed when I announced that we would have more room to walk in.

Trailing my left hand along the wall of the long passageway, I tried to get an idea of the building Sokka and I were now under. There weren't very many people in it—maybe less than ten—and it seemed to be very large. I didn't recognize any of the gaits except—

"Sokka! Katara's in there!" I whispered, squeezing his hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and she's with somebody…" I ran my hand along the wall, trying to get a better feel as to where she was. Yes, two people… they were talking, could that be…

"Aang. They're in there." I said blankly, Sokka leaned against the wall, sinking down to the floor, still holding my hand.

"We found them, Toph… I can't believe it."

"We found them!" I realized suddenly, registering the fact. "We have to get them out of there…"

"You're right. How do we do that?" Sokka said, standing up suddenly. "We need to get through these walls… there has to be a way…"

"We have to keep walking." I whispered. "There's no way to get directly to them from where we are without stirring up suspicion." I pulled on his hand. "Come on…"

"But…" he resisted my tugs "they're right above us. We need to get to them…"

"Sokka, come on. We'll save them, I promise…" I said, desperately trying to make him move. He wouldn't come. "We'll get them out, Sokka. We just have to get up there, first…"

"But what if there isn't a way up there?" He snapped. "What if we don't save them?"

"We will save them!" I retorted, seizing his arms with both hands and pulling him in my direction. Again, he refused. Sighing, I wrapped my arms around his stomach, and tried to pick him up.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded. "You're going to drop me!" He tried to push my arms away while I did my best to keep holding on, while his feet never left the ground. "Toph, put me down! I'll come!" I let go of him. He huffed, straightening up again. We stood for a moment in a somewhat awkward silence.

"Sorry," I said, though I was unsure of the cause for my apology. He shrugged; I heard the small sounds of his clothes brushing the earthy walls. I took his hand again. "Let's go."

We walked in silence once more, and eventually reached the end of the passageway, where a door stood.

"Alright, we made it." Sokka announced. "Where do we go from here?"

"The room Aang and Katara are in will be easy to get to, and I don't think anyone is near the hallway we'll go down. But, still, be really, really quiet."

"You got it." I opened the door, and we entered the building where our friends were held.

--

KATARA

Footsteps echoed through the hallway outside of the cell Aang and I was being held; this was not unusual. However, the footsteps didn't sound especially familiar; I now knew what Toph meant when she said that everyone's footsteps were different. Aang squeezed my hand, and the footsteps stopped.

"Who do you think that is?" I whispered to him; he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the door. We both watched it, straining our ears for any sound coming from the hallway. I could have sworn that two people were having a whispered argument outside the door.

The handle on the door creaked, turning a bit. I gasped and turned slightly, the better to face Aang. The door handle moved again, opening slightly. My breathing came fast and shallow; I brought my legs up to my chest and leaned closer to Aang.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and I screamed. When I saw who had fallen through the door, however, Aang put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming as though I had never screamed in my life. For, lying facedown on the floor was my brother. I stared at him in amazement. Before I could utter a single word, Toph stepped through the door.

"Great job, Sokka. Way to 'coup de main'."

* * *

**A/N: **Le gasp, Para's eyes are bleeding. OO:

If you have any questions about the plot, characters, or general story, feel free to ask. : Comments/crits are always welcomed, but flames are not.


	5. The Facile Flight

**A/N:** I hate you all. 8D

Ok, not really. But I _did _hate writing this. Down to the freaking core. It was very hard to write, seeing as it is falling action, which I despise.

Enjoy the story. I will NOT be writing a sequel. xO

* * *

KATARA

I stared at my face-planted brother and my sarcastic friend in stunned disbelief "Sokka! Toph!" I breathed, walking towards them. "How…where…you're here." I felt tears pooling in my eyes, and made no effort to stop them. Aang, a few paces behind me, spoke:

"How did you guys get in?" He asked, looking at Toph and Sokka as though they might disappear without warning.

"Through the wall," Toph said, picking Sokka up by the shoulders and pulling him into a standing position. "I punched through it. Then we had to walk inside of the wall for awhile," She motioned towards Sokka, "he was scared of the dark."

"What? I was not!" Sokka retorted. His voice was just as I remembered it. A tear trickled down my face. "I just couldn't see."

"Right," Toph said, punching him goodheartedly in the arm. "That's why your hand was shaking in mine the entire time we were underground."

"Wait, you guys were underground? I thought you came in through the wall…" Aang questioned, standing next to me. Sokka looked at Toph, who raised her eyebrows.

"Let's tell them about the building." She said, sitting on the floor. Sokka sat down beside her without second thought, and I slowly sank to the floor, still staring at them in disbelief. Aang followed me, more slowly than I could have imagined.

Toph, with some help from Sokka, explained the layout of the building. Sokka traced a (very horrible) diagram on the floor, and said that they would be able to get us out.

"So, if we leave the way we came in, we'll be able to sneak you two out without a hitch." Sokka said, nodding at Toph, who grinned. I thought about the floor plan of the building that had retained me and Aang for what seemed much longer than two weeks, the hallways Toph and Sokka had traveled through without fear, and wondered why it was all so simple for them. Their plan was so easy, and I desperately wanted it to work. I looked at Aang, who was staring at the floor. I touched his hand lightly, to get his attention. He jumped slightly, but laced our fingers together easily, naturally. I lay my head on his shoulder; he wrapped his other arm around me, hugging me. Toph chuckled.

I directed my eyes towards her. She was leaning against Sokka in nearly the same position I was leaning on Aang, but the two of them looked more like best friends or drinking buddies than a couple. Then again, Sokka's arm was not wrapped around her, and they were not holding hands, as Aang and I were. "Yes?" I said, choosing to ignore the fact that Sokka was eyeing me and Aang suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing,." Toph said, shrugging. She turned her head slightly, now speaking to Sokka. "They are just friends, after all."

"We _are_ just friends." I said, not quite believing my own words, "Can't friends hug like this?"

"Sure they can." Toph said. "Come on Sokka, let's hug like _just friends_." Sokka jumped at the mention of his name—but complied. He wrapped his arm around Toph's shoulder while she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Now," Toph said, smirking, "let's hug like Aang and Katara." She put herself in Sokka's lap without hesitation—he inhaled sharply—and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. Sokka looked down at her, his eyes wide. He wrapped his arms around her waist somewhat nervously, holding her close and resting his head on hers. His eyes slowly closed; I felt my eyes widen. _Now_ they looked like more than a couple. If I didn't know that they were making fun of Aang and me, I would have thought they were in love…

"Come on, Toph. Aang and I don't hug like that." I said, desperately trying to distract myself.

"You're right." Toph said, still clinging to Sokka. "The two of you hug standing up." Sokka laughed, releasing her from his tight embrace. Toph pulled back from Sokka's chest, her hands still around his neck, laughing with him. I looked at Aang—he was watching the two of them with a thoughtful expression. Were we thinking the same thing?

Suddenly, the laughing stopped. Toph set both her feet on the ground, concentrating. I looked at her anxiously…

"Someone's coming." She whispered. "We need to hide." She said to Sokka.

"Quick, under the cot." I said, lifting the bed skirt Ning insisting on having. Sokka dove underneath the cot immediately, pulling Toph in after him. Not two seconds later, the door flew open to reveal Yoon and Chao. Yoon was carrying Yoko's usual tray with bread and water, while Chao stared menacingly at Aang and I. I stared back at him, trying to not scream as he began to smirk. With a fluid motion, he grabbed Aang by the forearm and tore him away from me. Without thinking, I grabbed Aang's shirt, determined to hold on. Chao's smirk widened and he pushed me easily to the floor. Before I could lift myself up, he had slammed the door, and Aang was gone. Yoon quietly set the tray of food at my feet.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, and scurried out the door.

"Who were they?" Sokka asked from under my cot.

"The girl is Yoon, and the jerk is Chao." I said. I saw Sokka's foot from under the bed skirt, and shoved it back under; he yelped, and Toph gasped.

"What was that for?" Sokka whisper-yelled.

"They're going to come back." I hissed, straightening the bed skirt.

"She's right." Toph said. I listened intently, keeping my eyes on the door. "They've stopped…I think they're talking…that Chao guy isn't to happy…the girl is walking by—she's trying to talk to Chao…"

"Wait, how can you tell all of this? How far away are they?"

"All three of them are right outside the door…" Toph said. I stared at the door, wishing I could see through it… Toph continued to narrate the scene outside the cell: "The girl—did you call her Yoon, or something?—is trying to reason with Chao, I think…he's really mad… she—OH." A dull thud sounded from outside the door.

"What? What happened?!" Sokka asked nervously.

"Chao smacked her…" Toph replied. I turned away from the door, trying to block Toph's voice from my mind. I didn't want to know anymore. I didn't want to know that Chao was hurting Yoon, who didn't deserve to be here in the first place… "Aang's talking to him, and they're fighting, now…" I covered my head with my arms; why wouldn't Aang just come back? "They're about to come back"

And she was right. They burst through the door just as they had hours before, fighting. I stood up to try and help, and saw a twitch in the bed skirt—I guessed that either Sokka or Toph (maybe both) wanted to help, and the other held him or her back—I stood in a fighting stance, facing Chao and trying my best to plaster a brave expression on my face. Chao caught sight of me, and laughed. Aang turned his head for a second, smiling and frowning at the same time. I couldn't tell whether he wanted me to help or not. I took another step forward, this time bending the water out of the bowl Yoon had brought earlier.

"What's this, Avatar?! You have to get your girlfriend to fight your battles with you? Are you really that bad?" Chao sneered, his eyes moving from me to Aang, who was becoming ever angrier. (I wouldn't have been surprised if he exploded, only to turn into some horrible, anger-fueled monster.)

"I can fight my own battles, and so can Aang." I said, raising the water above my head. "But you need to leave, now--" I cut myself short in horror. I had looked past Chao's head and into the hallway, where Yoko was helping a stunned Yoon off the ground. Yoko's eyes connected with mine, wider than I had ever seen them. She slowly shook her head, her eyes becoming liquid-like and sad. She was silently pleading with me. I raised the water whip I had formed, suddenly feeling the pain of my many burns pull against my skin as I did so. I winced, but kept my stance. I looked back at Yoko, who was now on the brink of tears, it seemed, trying my best to silently communicate to her that I _had_ to help Aang…

I looked back at Chao, who was staring intently at Aang, whose stance matched mine, though he had no water whip. (I guessed he was planning to Airbend) I looked at Aang, who was looking at me, his expression sad. He opened his mouth slightly, and closed it again. I pursed my lips together, realizing that he didn't want me to fight. _Nobody _wanted me to fight. Not Aang, not Yoko, and probably not Sokka, wanted me to go up against Chao. I slowly came out of my stance, bending the water back into its bowl. I stood up straight, and stared at Chao, who was now looking at me, smugness evident.

"I see that your girlfriend is smart, Avatar." He said, a coil of fire rising around his hand. He caressed the flame, wrapping it between his fingers as though he was trying to be menacing.

"Katara." Aang spat. I looked at him, somewhat appalled. However, he was glaring at Chao. "Her name is Katara!" He shouted my name and whipped Chao in the face with a sharp gust of air. Chao stopped playing with his little ring of fire, and clutched his face where Aang had hit him. His stare bored into Aang's for a second, and, suddenly, he turned on his heel and fled down the hall.

Aang's breath came heavily, and he only panted while I waited for him to talk. Instead of speaking, though, he whipped air from around his head and slammed the door shut.

"Aang…"

"Let's leave, Katara." He said, facing the door. I took a step near him. The compelling need to simply touch him, to make sure he wouldn't disappear in a sudden explosion, was overpowering.

"We've got Appa. He's just outside the building. We can leave the way Toph and Sokka came in. And if Chao and Malai come back, we can fight them. I just want to get out of here…"

"Aang—"

"_You know_," I spun around to see Sokka standing not three feet behind me, Toph at his side. "That's not such a bad idea. It's probably the best one we'll be able to come up with, actually."

"And we'd be able to get out the way we came in. Just like Aang said." Toph added.

I turned to look at Aang. He was looking Sokka and Toph with the utmost concentration. I wondered whether he was decided if leaving was a good plan…

"Let's go, then." He said, straightening up—I had not realized he was bending over slightly—and walking towards me, taking my hand. I laced our fingers together, and turned to face Sokka and Toph. They—Sokka, rather—were looking back at me, reassuring and optimistic. I took a deep breath, trying to brace myself for our quiet escape, though such escapes were not the norm for our little gang. Clearing my lungs and filling them with new air did not make me anymore ready, however much I wished it would.

--

TOPH

"Katara, would you stop shaking? It's screwing up my reading." I whispered to my nervous wreck of a friend as we—Sokka, Aang, Katara and I—inched down the long hallway connecting Aang and Katara's cell and the door where Sokka and I entered the place. She had been more nervous than any of us as we exited the cell, but now she was fully—and maybe visibly—shaking.

"Katara, it's okay. We're almost to the door. Right, Toph?"

"Yeah. We're almost there." I answered Aang, who was trying to calm Katara's nerves. I noticed that Aang had relaxed considerably the moment we left the cell and found no one in the hallway, while Katara had reacted in exactly the opposite way.

"Come on guys. We've got what, about two more turns, and then we're underground. After we walk through a very long, dark tunnel, we're going to scale inside a wall. Then we're free!" Sokka exclaimed, a stupid smirk probably plastered on his face, oblivious to the fact that Katara's heart rate had increased the moment he uttered the word 'underground'.

"Sokka… just stop." She whispered, "I'm scared that we'll get caught as it is, I don't need you telling me about where we'll be going to make it worse."

"Sorry." Sokka said. I imagined that Katara was glaring at him, and he was possibly holding his hands in defense. I sighed and turned another corner, the last one, and walked even faster down the long hallway. No one was coming, I knew, but I couldn't help feeling a bit apprehensive. We were so close to breaking Aang and Katara out, and the tension was rising

"Toph, wait up!" Sokka said, running to catch up to me. I slowed down slightly, allowing him to make pace.

"Are you alright? You seem nervous…"

"I'm fine. We're just breaking out of a high security prison, after all."

"Yeah. We're just doing something that is totally normal for us." He said, chuckling and taking my hand in his.

I did not let go. Even as we walked through the underground tunnel, even when Sokka tripped. I did not release his hand as the four of us huddled together in terrified silence, for I had heard the door opening. Even after we felt safe enough to continue on, I did not let go of his hand.

AANG

Katara's hand shook in mine. She had not let go since we left the cell, and I was now sure that my fingers were going to turn blue, were they not already.

"Alright, now we have to get inside the wall," Sokka spoke from a few feet in front of me. "We're going to walk up these stairs, and, when we get to the top, there'll be door made of stone. Toph is going to open the door, and we'll scale between the actual building and the metal protection layer. When we get to the hole that Toph made, we'll crawl out of it, jump on Appa, and fly away. Any questions?"

I tried to see Sokka through the darkness. I wanted to see if he looked as confident as he sounded…

"Well, let's go, then." Toph said, presumably climbing up the stairs Sokka has mentioned. I felt my way ahead, pulling Katara along—she came less readily—and began to climb the steep steps.

We continued to climb for several minutes in silence. Katara's hand still held mine. I sometimes squeezed it reassurance, trying to silently tell her that we would get out soon, and that everything would be ok.

"We're to the door." Toph said suddenly. I stopped in my tracks.

A quiet scraping started—Toph was opening the door. I worked to steady my breathing. I was so ready to be rid of this place, and freedom was so, so close. I could nearly taste it…

"Everyone holds hands now," Sokka said, trying to take my hand. I pulled back.

"That's my hand, Sokka!"

"Sorry… Katara, where are you?"

"Right here…"

"Grab my hand. Toph will lead." Katara did so, and we began to scale the inside of the wall, just as Sokka said we would. It was tight, dark, and uncomfortable. Katara hand squeezed mine tighter than it had previously, and I wondered if she was just as scared as I was…

The small space slowly became lighter, though it was still dark. "What time do you think it is?" I asked aloud.

"Nighttime." Sokka answered immediately.

Nighttime. Toph and Sokka couldn't have picked a better time to come rescue me and Katara. We would escape in the dead of night, with no one to catch us. We would fly away on Appa, dispose of the horrible clothing we had been forced to wear, and buy new clothes in the Earth Kingdom. Katara and I would be able to talk freely again, without fear of being hurt. We would laugh easily again, just as we had the day we 'eloped', and were captured.

"Here's the hole." Toph said. And it was true, there was a hole in the wall, and it was nighttime. The light ahead of me was blue, and it illuminated Toph's face as Sokka helped her through the hole. She landed with a small thud.

"Katara, you're next." Sokka said, pulling Katara towards the hole. She finally released my hand—I rubbed my sore fingers—and climbed through the hole, landing with a thud only slightly louder than Toph's.

"Aang, do you want to go next?" Sokka said, turning to me. His face was half lit by the blue-ish light of the moon, and his expression was sincere.

"No, you go ahead of me."

"Ok…" Sokka did so, and I followed suit.

I stood up to find myself inside a bush. I looked around, and saw that Toph was heading through a clearing in the bush that was exactly her height. Sokka, Katara, and I hunched over, following Toph through the gap. When we exited the bush, I took a deep breath of fresh air, the first I had in weeks. Beside me, Katara burst into tears.

"Hey!" We all whipped around to see Chao coming from around a corner, dragging Yoko by the arm. He face was bruised and tearstained, and her eyes were half-closed.

"RUN, GUYS!" Sokka shouted. But I needed no encouragement. I ran flat out, following Toph and Sokka, and pulling Katara along.

"Appa!" I shouted, spying my beloved Air Bison not twenty feet from me. Appa growled, and stood, ready to take flight.

Sokka reached him first, and hoisted himself onto the bison's head, pulling Toph up after him. Katara reached him next—I had pushed her ahead—and she jumped, taking hold of one of Appa's horns, trying to pull herself up. Sokka wrenched her up by the arm. I prepared to Bend myself onto Appa's saddle.

As I bent down to twirl myself in the air, a hang grabbed my sleeve. "AH!" I shouted, flailing my arm around, and subsequently smacking Chao in the nose with my forearm. He shouted, grabbing his face just as he had earlier, and I jumped onto Appa, accidentally kicking Chao in the head as I did so.

"GO!" I shouted to Sokka, who had the reigns. Without another second passing, we took flight, leaving Chao, and the prison, behind.

* * *

**A/N: **'The Facile Flight' is another way to say 'the easy escape'. You see, the escape was very easy because Yoko had created a mayhem in the hall, knocking over a priceless statue of Ozai. Malai, Ning, and the guards were distracted with cleaning up the remains of the statue and /punishing/ her, and they did not realize that their two prisoners were missing until it was too late. Oh, Yoko. You clever girl. Too bad Chao punched the crap outta you at the end...

Katara was _extremely_ scared to leave the island, even though she hated it with every fiber of her being. This is because a woman/girl that is in a horrible situation e.i. abuse, whether it be sexual, physical, mental, or verbal is often afraid to leave the situation, because she cannot imagine life any other way. Have you ever seen a woman who is abused in some way, shape, or form, but refuses to leave her abuser? That is _exactly_ what I am talking about.  
However, once she has escaped her situation, it becomes apparent that leaving was always the best thing to do.

Thank you for sitting through my story, and I look forward to hearing what you think. I particularly enjoyed a review from my friend, Invaderk:

"_Awesome work, Para! The imagery was really great, and the different scenes played on all the right emotions.  
Angry Aang was especially neat to see, since he's usually such a happy dude all the time, and the effect of the changing perspectives was nice, too._

Nice work! 3333"

ANYWAY, really hoped that you enjoyed this, and I certianly hope that you are ready to read more of my work, because it is most _definitely _on the way.


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